Have a Stress Free Thanksgiving

Ah yes… 2020 has been a ride, and at every turn, you think it’s going to get back to normal. But wait!? Thanksgiving is coming? Let’s just ramp up the COVID a little to keep everyone on their toes! So, with all the unknowns on travel restrictions, masks, and group gatherings how can we possibly plan for our traditional Thanksgiving celebrations?

You can’t.

Chris and I have hosted Thanksgiving at our house for several years as a blended family. When I say blended we check off all the boxes and even had to write a few in. With our ever-growing family, there is a lot of planning for who sits where, who’s bringing what food, what time can these people come, will the siblings from Chicago and Los Angeles be flying in, who is sleeping where and of course what is for dessert!

This year we fired out a family text message and invited all that felt comfortable to come to our house. We told them they didn’t have to RSVP, didn’t have to bring anything, didn’t even have to be on time. We are fully going with the flow and will enjoy seeing anybody that shows up. And if nobody feels safe in this covid time, that’s ok too. Chris and I have each other and we are thankful for that every single day.

While this may not be the “perfect” Thanksgiving in my Clark Griswald OCD mind, it will be perfect. Because we are giving thanks for the people we love and the things we have been blessed with.

Tips For a Stress Free Thanksgiving

If you are looking for ways to cope with the circumstances this year here are a few good alternatives to the traditional family get together:

1. Virtual Turkey – yep, we’ve all been on a Zoom meeting now. Just grab the laptop and schedule a time to tell everybody you love them.
2. Virtual Reminiscing – Put together a photo collage of past holidays and share your screen during your Zoom time. It’s always fun to see how everybody dressed years ago and how terrible their haircut was (frosted tips anybody?)
3. Virtual Dining – Each household signs up for a dish or two to make in bulk, divvies them up into equal portions, and delivers them to the other households on Thanksgiving morning.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Enjoy your special time where you are with the ones you love.